ARN Media dealt fresh blow over complaint handling against Kyle & Jackie O Show as co-hosts sue
The media owners behind the controversial Kyle & Jackie O Show are in a fresh storm after the co-hosts launched a legal battle against their former employer.
The media owners behind the Kyle & Jackie O Show have been issued an 18-month enforceable undertaking by Australia’s media regulator after repeatedly failing to comply with radio complaint-handling rules.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has accused ARN Media - the parent company of the program - of breaching its obligations under the Commercial Code of Practice by not responding to multiple listener complaints within the required 30-day period.
According to ACMA, the Sydney licensee Commonwealth Corporation Pty Ltd received seven code complaints between August and September 2024. They said only one of those complaints was addressed.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.In Melbourne, licensee Double T Radio Pty Ltd received 15 complaints, nine of which were not answered within the mandated 30-day timeframe.
“The court-enforceable undertaking requires the licensees to report to the ACMA on their processes for managing listener complaints, as well as any changes or improvements made,” the enforcement action read.
“All staff involved in complaint handling will also be required to undertake training on compliance with relevant provisions of the Code.”
The regulatory action comes as co-hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie Henderson pursue legal action against ARN Media and its subsidiary Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation.
The pair are suing after their 10-year, $100 million contracts were terminated following an on-air confrontation.
During the heated blow-up on live radio in February, Sandilands berated Henderson for her interests in astrology following Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, saying she was “off with the fairies”.
“As I said, fascinating, but I don’t think it should be at the detriment of everything else on the show — this relentless research,” Sandilands said at the time.
“It’s affecting other things … your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable. You’re off with the fairies with this s***. It’s mental.”
Henderson then left the studio in tears and did not return to the show. She later labelled the clash an “attack”.
